By Jerome Sarris and Joe Firth When someone is diagnosed with a mental health disorder such as depression or anxiety, first line treatments usually include psychological therapies and medication. What’s not always discussed are the changeable lifestyle factors that influence our mental health. Even those who don’t have a mental health condition may still be looking for […]

Bringing Free Libraries to the Community: St. Louis Promise Zone The St. Louis Promise Zone has partnered with the St. Louis County Library to provide 50 community library boxes all around the Promise Zone in north St. Louis County. Their aim is to increase literacy and readership and strengthen education outcomes in high poverty communities. […]

Have you ever been at line at Starbucks and have the person in front of you pay for your order? It starts a chain-effect, called paying it forward, that will put a smile on your face for the rest of the day. Or has someone sincerely complimented you or helped you out in a situation […]

By: Amanda Honigfort, Special Projects and Programs Producer You will notice HEC looks a bit different recently. We are working extremely hard here at HEC to make some major, important changes. It’s all part of our dedication to serving you and strenghening our arts, education and cultural communities thoughout the metropolitan region. We want to take […]

When the Gateway Arch National Park showed off its impressive new look on July 3, HEC was there. In a series of behind-the-scenes segments on hecmedia.org, we looked at the new museum and Arch Grounds as well as the the National Park Service’s plans for the park. That day was a long time coming. The […]

Arts and Education Council to celebrate seven honorees at 28thannual event, Jan. 21, 2019 The Arts and Education Council(A&E) has announced seven honorees for the 2019 St. Louis Arts Awards. Celebrating its 28thyear, the St. Louis Arts Awards is the region’s preeminent event honoring artists, educators, individuals and organizations that achieve a legacy of artistic […]

Although there there are so many events and happenings taking place in June, we wanted to spotlight a few we are really excited about! To view all events, go to our events page, here. Edo Rosenblith at COCA | June 8 – Aug. 25 Israeli born, St. Louis-based artist Edo Rosenblith will guide COCA visitors […]

By: Amanda Honigfort, Special Programs Producer The Missouri Botanical Garden spreads over 79 beautiful acers in the Tower Grove neighborhood as a natural oasis in St. Louis city. Founded in 1859 by Henry Shaw, it is the nation’s oldest botanical garden in continuous operation and a National Historic Landmark. From holidays to sunday brunch, meeting […]

Good stories are being lived out all around us and yet we hear rarely get the chance to experience them. With Impact, it’s our hope to share all the wonderful things happening throughout our local community whether it affects just a few in the neighborhood or millions around the globe. Our stories are about more […]

Things are about to get holi-crazy in St. Louis! Take time to enjoy yourself this weekend and check out some of the events going on around town before the holiday shenanigans hit the fan. Want only holiday events? Click here! Want weekend events to come straight to your inbox every Thursday? Click here! Click here […]

The holiday season is here and there are so many ways to get into the spirit in St. Louis. Sure, you may want to pick out the perfect tree or sip hot cocoa by the fire, but below are other events just begging to become an annual holiday tradition. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Chanukah, […]

Let us introduce you to some extraordinary people around our area who are making a difference on the lives of those around them. On this episode you will meet a surgeon who says he’s a better doctor after suffering a debilitating disease that left his paralyzed from the waist down. Find out about a new program designed to break the cycle of homelessness and all the participants have to do is find their true talent. An amazing statistic states that a majority of African American students who head off to college will never get their degree. We found a new school with a new attitude about education hoping to change all that. And one of St. Louis’ best known neighborhoods is going green with a community garden that is all about helping those who need it most.

It doesn’t take much to make a difference in someone’s life and we have some wonderful stories of commitments of personal time and resources with the goal of helping others in this edition of Impact. A local agency is reaching out to homeless veterans teaching them how to get out of their economic slump. Meet a woman who wants to fight the stigma surrounding mental illness by putting the disease in the spotlight. A local hospital is hitting the roads and heading to schools offering free healthcare to hundreds of school children throughout the area. Meanwhile, a best selling author is scoring big with local students who want to play sports, and all it costs them is a couple of afternoons of reading. And finally, see how one local teacher is turning his hobby of jewelry making into an opportunity to inspire others to help those around them.

This episode of Impact begins with a heart tugging story of a little boy suffering from a fatal illness who, today, is a true medical miracle. Local doctors use a treatment never tried in the U.S. before and make medical history. We’ll also introduce you to a man making his own impact on children in need of medical help and all he did was retire. Healthy eating is making a comeback and the new trend is to buy locally produced foods. See how you can be sure the freshest food is making it’s way from area farms to your table. And if you have a gardening question, who are you going to call? How about the Garden Guru? See who he is and what he knows on this edition of Impact.